We propose a standard protocol at the landscape to continental\r\nscale for examining to what extent the range of ecological conditions\r\nfound in temperate latitudes explains the variations in climber\r\nspecies richness and traits. The protocol was tested in forests of\r\nthe two Americas. The data set included 151 climber species. We\r\nselected four categorical traits and grouped these species into six\r\nclusters with regard to these traits. Floristic records of American forests\r\nwere first gathered into alliances second combined with bioclimatic\r\nindices (rainfall temperature continentality). We obtained\r\na total of 59 vegetational units in which we calculated values of\r\nclimber species richness and proportion of clusters. Vegetational\r\nunits were ultimately gathered into five forest formations (characterized\r\nby leaf longevity). Wetlands and uplands were considered\r\nseparately\r\nImportant Findings\r\nOur results emphasize clear trends in large-scale patterns of climber\r\ndistribution independently of taxonomy. Climber species richness (in\r\nparticular woody climbers) peaks in moist and warm upland forests\r\nwith oceanic climates and where conifers are rare. In flooded areas\r\nclimber richness is also very high and peaks in seasonally flooded large\r\nfloodplains. In ecological conditions of frost dryness or lack of nutrients\r\nclimber species richness abundance and trait diversity decline\r\nresulting in the dominance of small twining and deciduous life traits.